Roman Rotenberg speaks after beating Spartak away

HC SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg:

"We knew that it would be a hard-fought match inside a sold-out arena. We didn't start well, but we withstood the blow and changed our approach for the second period. We followed our game plan and scored excellent goals. However, we had enough opportunities to tally a lot more!

"The chants of the Spartak fans? Supporters of this team constantly swear during all of their matches in the KHL, VHL and MHL; not just this league. There were young children in attendance, so why is this acceptable? Can Spartak's fans do what they want?

"What do I think about the actions of Evgeny Kuznetsov, Zakhar Bardakov and Sergei Plotnikov towards the home supporters? Repeat to me what the fans were singing. You can't because you'll be fined? Don't be afraid, we live in a free country.

"Once again we conceded a goal after a faceoff draw in Moscow against Spartak? Yes, I agree that this is a problem. We spoke about this during the first break, and we subsequently played differently when faceoffs took place. I'm grateful to the guys for listening to what we had to say. 

"Spartak have a lot of former SKA players? All teams in the KHL are strong. We have a lot of respect for all of our opponents, including Spartak. Lots of KHL clubs have players who progressed through the SKA system. 

"Our goalkeeping situation? We make decisions concerning our line-up based on what we see at training."